ARA: Looking for restaurants that keep completely kosher

When I was talking with a group of my students this week we got into a conversation about going out to eat and one of them said there really are not many places that she knows she can go in the capital region because her family keeps kosher! So, I told her over break I would try to find some new restaurants/bakeries for her to try that keep kosher. My question to your readers is what are some good restaurants/bakeries in the capital district that keep kosher that I can recommend for her to try?

She did say that some places try but are not completely kosher so she can’t eat there…dunkin donuts for example makes their donuts kosher but cooks them in the same oven the bacon is cooked in so she can’t eat them! :(

17 Responses

I’m not even Jewish but have several friends who keep kosher. I believe the only local place with fully kosher meals is the kosher dining area at SUNY Albany. There’s also a kosher bagel-and-schmear type of place at SUNY. The Price Chopper on Central Avenue used to offer prepared kosher foods in their deli but it’s been a while since I’ve looked. There use to be pizza/falafel places in Albany and Hudson but I think they’ve both closed.

Just for fun: there ARE fully kosher Dunkin’ Donuts but only a few. The closest ones to Albany are in the New York City area, IIRC.

Several years ago, in discussions I had with a Hasid I work with, I learned that all “kosher” is not created equal, i.e., there are different levels of kosher, some more stringent than others. These are typically indicated by their different marks/stamps/logos. I was going to point this out but your article indicates such, i.e., that the person seeking the information is perhaps on the more stringent end of this kosher thing – which is going to make her search even more difficult.

I assume she is aware of the kosher deli in the Price Chopper at the intersection of Routes 5 and 155 in Colonie. The Hasid I work work eats stuff from there and I believe he is at the conservative end of the kosher spectrum. however, I don’t know if they have a bakery or prepared foods – but they might. I can tell you they got the best pastrami I could find over several years trying multiple manufacturers from multiple stores! But you ain’t gonna’ buy much at $20 a pound!

Yes, as the previous commenter points out, there are gradations of “kosher”. It sounds like the reader is asking for something certified by the “Vaad Hakashrut” , which is a certifying agency of religious authorities who maintain the kosher standard in the Capital District (or elsewhere, we have one locally).

I would call them. Their number is 489-1530. They can give you a better idea of what standards they use and if they are acceptable for the family in question.

This is complicated, because what is considered “kosher” for my family might not be kosher enough for another family. A lot depends on locality.

But, yes, the Price Chopper on Central Ave at Rts 5 & 155 do carry a variety of kosher products, preprepared and otherwise that will likely meet this family’s need.

Vegan restaurants are an option for some definitions of kosher. As several folks have mentioned, there are different variations and for many people, if the restaurant isn’t under the correct religious supervision it isn’t kosher. I was astonished at how technical the supervision can be – things like honey and balsamic vinegar require special consideration, bugs in produce, cooking oil has to be certified as never having come in contact with anything that ever touched milk (i.e. a storage drum, processing machine, etc).

The only place in this area that is strictly kosher is the Price Chopper on Central Ave. For someone who is strictly kosher a vegetarian restaurant would not work. But any n Dunkin Donuts that is verifed by the Vaad Hakashrut would be strictly kosher.

Note for some people, the fact that a restaurant is even open on a saturday, would stop them from eating there no matter how kosher they are.

The closest locations with a selection of kosher restaurants are in the Monsey & New City area. Both cities are about 2 hours from Albany. There is a pizza & falafel place in Hudson.
And, here is a listing of ALL kosher restaurants throughout New York State. Not sure if it is up to date.http://www.nachas.org/BethYehuda/kosher.html

The Kosher Kitchen on UAlbany Dutch Quad serves kosher meat lunches and dinners. Dreidels in the UAlbany Campus Center is dairy-kosher bagels and schmears. (Both under Vaad supervision – hours are on the UAlbany dining web page, but I don’t know if the Kosher Kitchen menus are up to date or not).

The Price Chopper on Central Ave @ rt 155 has the only kosher deli in the area, and they sell prepared sandwiches. They also have french fries, yum yum. I have seen rotisserie chickens and assorted sides in the prepared hot food section before, though I think it might depend on day/time as to how much is there. They also have the largest selection of various kosher/Israel products, some of which are ready to eat (chips, applesauce, candy, other nosh) – but the rest is either frozen or needs cooked. Everything coming out of their bakery is marked as to whether it’s dairy or parve (neither meat nor dairy).

Some folks are comfortable going to a non-kosher cafe and ordering a tea, since the cup/lid are disposable and the tea, sugar packets, and creamers are all individually sealed (and usually OU-D).

Maimonides, the Orthodox Jewish day school in Albany, does Saturday night pizza every so often, after Shabbat ends. I think the Daughters of Sarah nursing home has a kosher kitchen but not sure if any of their meals are open to the community or not. Not sure about the Albany or Schenectady JCCs, if they have kosher cafes. Other than that, there are other events here and there that will have kosher catering (Raizy at Shabbos House, the Chabad Center associated with UAlbany, does a lot of stuff) but definitely limited options when it comes to eating out for those keeping kosher.

In Hudson there’s a great joint (Park Falafel and Pizza) that’s a vegetarian pizza and Mediterranean food joint that keeps kosher. I know it’s not totally “Capital Region” but the food is worth the drive.

I don’t think the Daughters of Sarah has anything open to the public – I looked into it several years ago. I had Orthadox friends from NJ come up to the area a few summers ago – they went to a retreat up by Lake George but bought their food at the Price Chopper on Central.( I met them for a picnic on the JCC grounds ).